I have done an eBay auction for my son's preschool. It was a huge success. However, it does take a lot of work. What you need is someone who is already in the 'ebay business" And knows how to sell. You can perhaps make a deal with a local eBay seller to sell the stuff for you for a cut.
The merchants that donated items were very happy. Not only did we mention them on our website, but in the ebay ad we put a link to their business. Also, we advertized in the local community newsgroup and got many people to sign up for eBay through our site which also gave us and extra $5 from eBay (through their affiliate program).
eBay even has a special section for nonprofits.
I think that there are many opportunities with fundraising and ebay...
I have a private business and also donate to silent auctions. As long as I got an acknowledgement, I would just want the group to make the most profit possible. As Janis stated, the person donated a lot of items and most were already auctioned off at a regular silent auction and I assume they donor was mentioned then. goooo e-bay!
Smaller value items can be a real pain. I remember eating lunch at a restaurant three times and each time the restaurant owner told me to come back next week and he'd have something for me. Finally, he gave me a $10 certificate and I spent about $50 in lunches to get it!
As a business owner who makes often makes donations to silent auctions, I would not be happy with a group that had promised some publicity (which donation letters usually do) and then took an item and auctioned it on Ebay.
You might want to try and combine the smaller items into a single auction item. I certianly think it would be okay to auction items on Ebay which did not get a minimum bid. Just a few thoughts.
On the other hand, sometimes it's easier to apologize after the fact then wait for everyone to think if it's a good idea. It's easy to list stuff on e-bay. Make sure you do a little research first so your prices are in line with what's on sale now. Check both the beginning price and completed sales. Give every item a week to sell and have it end on a weekend. More people bid on the weekend. Weigh your items so you can list a shipping price. You don't want to have too low a price and then have to ship it across the country and eat that cost. The buyer should pay all shipping and optional insurance costs. You can check the shipping price on the US post office web site. Go for it!
